“We’re a community school and everybody hurts in these things,” Stein said.

He said the district is trying to be proactive in providing students the attention they need to prevent more tragedy.

“We hope that the students will come to a principal or teacher if they feel something isn’t right,” Stein said.

“Those lines of communication are open, and if you see kids hurting, you try to anticipate that.”

Boedecker and Brown couldn’t tell Nickell was going through pain before he took his own life.

“He was the type of guy that would try to make everyone else happy, so it was really a shock,” said Boedecker.

“He was the type of guy that wouldn’t show it if he was upset,” said Brown.

Stein said that in addition to counselors being available to all students, the district just last month implemented the Raider Hotline, a phone number students can text about problems like bullying or drug issues to reach Flushing High School Principal Jason Melynchek without other students knowing.